2011 Need To Know: Emerging Storage Vendors

Emerging Storage Vendors Making A Name For Themselves In The Channel

With perhaps a couple of thousand storage vendors working exclusively or in large part through the IT channel, nailing done a list that solution providers need to know can be a difficult task. For those solution providers looking for vendors that offer the right mix of capabilities for their customers and profit opportunities for themselves, emerging vendors in the storage industry can be a good start.

This need to know list takes a look at 10 storage vendors that are boosting their presence in the IT channel through appliances that automate data protection, platforms that build storage clouds and more.

Actifio

Key Executive: Rick Nagengast


Actifio’s in-line appliances automate data protection and disaster recovery in physical and virtualized environments by creating three virtual copies for instant recovery, backup and disaster recovery while writing to primary storage.

BridgeStor

Key Executive: John Matze


BridgeStor develops appliances for deduping using Symantec’s Data Deduplication Suite integrated with hardwareaccelerated data compression technology and for providing backup and restore for VMware virtual appliances.

Ciphertex Data Security

Key Executive: Michael Carter


Ciphertex’s secure network storage appliance for virtualized environments and clustered servers uses hardware key security to enable users to securely store, share and use digital assets and documents.

Cirtas

Key Executive: Steve Mallard


Cirtas’ Bluejet Cloud Storage Controller appliance makes public cloud storage like Amazon and Iron Mountain look and work like an on-site storage array with storage, backup and recovery, and disaster recovery.

EDITOR'S NOTE: After this item went to press, Cirtas pulled back from the market and issued this statement:

"Cirtas has decided to pull back from the market at this time. Through our deployments we've learned a significant amount about what is required by the market and believe it is in the best interest of the company, our partners, and customers to focus on what we've learned."

Ctera

Key Executive: Donald Fuller


Ctera develops NAS appliances that combine local data protection and cloud storage, with its latest models able to do bootable bare metal restores of servers to a physical or virtual machine.

Hardcore Computer

Key Executive: Al Berning


Hardcore designs and manufactures high-performance computer systems with a patented liquid submersion cooling technology to remove heat, making them suitable for servers and storage systems.

Heroware

Key Executive: Fred Mayne


Heroware integrates Double-Take’s software with industry-standard servers as appliances that protect a single Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 and 2008 server or use Hyper-V to replicate data on up to 20 servers.

Nimble Storage

Key Executive: Mike Munoz


Nimble develops appliances that combine high-performance Flash memory and low-cost SATA drives to handle primary, backup and disaster recovery tasks. They compress data as it is input and store ’hot’ data in Flash memory.

Rectiphy

Key Executive: Doug Taylor


Rectiphy develops ActiveImage Protector software that backs up data from physical and virtual servers and desktops for a single license per physical server. One version backs up Microsoft Hyper-V-based hosts and virtual servers.

TwinStrata

Key Executive: Ann Doyle


TwinStrata’s CloudArray virtual appliance works in VMware and Citrix environments to add intelligence to public and private cloud storage with data replication, backup and restore, archiving, disaster recovery and more.